His Last Hope of Coming Home

Chapter 8: A Hollow Body with a Bright Soul

Dick woke up gasping for air, also waking up Tim and Damian, who had snuck into Dick's room after he had fallen asleep.

Tim looked up at Dick, who was still harshly breathing in alarm. Damian had completely sat up, looking at his older brother with half-hidden worry in his eyes.

"Grayson?" Damian asked

Dick looked at the ten year old boy and forced himself to calm down. He slowed his breathing and looked back at his youngest brother.

"Yes?" He replied.

Tim and Damian exchanged glances but said nothing.

Dick grabbed his phone, which had fallen off the bed and looked at the time.

2:24 pm.

"Shit! I slept through most of the day!?" He asked as he scrambled out of bed.

"It was better for your health that you slept in, Grayson." Damin replied with annoyance, but underneath, he was concerned as well.

"Sorry, guys, I have to go somewhere and I can't be late." Dick said, frantically grabbing a change of clothes and rushing the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Damian turned to look at Tim.

"There's something he's not telling us. He never plans things anymore." Tim observed.

Damian nodded in agreement.

"He's been spacing himself from all of us. Even Pennyworth." He spoke cooley, but Tim could see he was worried.

Tim pulled Damian into a hug. Damian stiffened at the sudden action but eased into it, leaning his head on his brother's shoulder.

"Isn't Jon coming over today?" Tim asked.

"Yes." Damin asked, shouldering out of the hug.

Tim smirked, and his eyebrows went up and down.

Damian realized what he meant, and his eyes widened. A rosey red color faded onto his fair colored skin.

"You imbecile!" He growled while Tim laughed.

Damian then launched himself at Tim and started attacking him. A small yelp of surprise escaped Tim's mouth, making Damian snicker in a shallow victory. Tim then kicked Damian off of him and climbed on top of one of Dick's bookshelves to avoid the murderous looking child from below, who was too short to take the path Tim had taken to get to him.

There was a knock on the door before Alfred walked in on hearing commotion from the other side of the door.

"Master Timothy! Get off of there that instant!" Alfred scolded.

Tim was down so fast that you could have said he teleported.

No one ever wanted to go head to head with an angry Alfred. Unless you had a death wish.

Just then, Dick hurried out of the bathroom, fully dressed, minus shoes, and left the room. Not batting an eye at what had happened.

Alfred raised his eyebrows and turned to the younger boys in silent question.

When the boys shrugged or shook their heads, he shrugged as well and left the room to tend to the rest of the manor.

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Dick dashed to the nearest Zeta tube that was not located in the Batcave. He didn't want Bruce knowing he was involving himself with the heroes without his permission.

Once he reached an old phone booth, he hacked into it as far as he could, not wanting to draw attention to him.

He needed to get to Wally's hologram.